colonization

the process of a country acquiring control over a

territory and settling it for economic purposes
What are some reasons that European nations might have wanted to colonize North America?

colony

a settlement in a new territory

with ultimate authority resting
with people from the mother
country

What are some challenges settlers might face in setting up a new colony?

colonialism

the process of setting up a territory under the control

of a distant country
Who do you think benefits the most from colonialism? Who do you think benefits the least?
Why?

constitution

a written plan for government

How does having a constitution benefit the citizens of a country? In what ways can a
constitution be harmful to the citizens of a country?

democracy
(self-government, self-rule)

government in which the power is held by the people

(through the process of voting?)
What are the benefits and drawbacks of a democratic form of government?

legislature
(Congress)

a group (usually elected) with the power to make

laws)
What requirements do you think are important for someone to serve on a legislature?

Puritan

a member of a group of English Protestants who

wanted to purify the Church of England
Why do you think Puritans chose to immigrate to North America instead of addressing the
problem in England?

rebellion
(mutiny, revolt, uprising)

an act of resistance against authority

What situations (if any) justify rebellion against your government?
What is an example of a rebellion in the early history of the U.S.?

self-government
(democracy, republic, self-rule)

a form of government in which the people hold the

power
What are the benefits and drawbacks of self-government?

salutary neglect

unofficial British policy of selectively enforcing laws to

keep the colonies obedient to Mother England
What is one reason salutary neglect might have been unavoidable for England?
What effect did salutary neglect have on the development of the colonies?

act
(bill, law, legislation, ordinance, statute)

a law
Why do governments create acts?

civil disobedience

non-violent refusal to follow a law one believes is

unjust, in order to force the government to do or
change something
What is an example of civil disobedience in the history of the U.S.?

grievance
(complaint)

a formal complaint
List some of the grievances the Thomas Jefferson and the Patriots expressed to King George III in
the Declaration of Independence. Were their grievances reasonable?

mercantilism
(commercialism)

an economic system of trade designed to increase the

wealth of a mother country at the expense of colonies
Why were the colonists frustrated by mercantilism? Was their frustration justified?

revolution

a major change in government or way of life

Would you have been a Loyalist or a Patriot during the American Revolution? Why?

treaty
accord, agreement, settlement

a formal agreement between two or more countries

Name a treaty important to the history of the U.S. and explain its parts.

unalienable rights
(natural rights)

rights that belong to all humans and cannot be taken

away
How do you get your unalienable rights?

judicial review

the idea that the courts have the power to rule on the
constitutionality of a law or of the actions of the
legislative and executive branches
What court case established judicial review?

embargo

an official ban on trade with another country

In what situations might an embargo be a good policy move for a government?

precedent

Well, it
happened
before
something that sets the example for how to act or
decide an issue in the future
Why do leaders often like to follow precedents when making decisions?
Should leaders always follow precedents? Why or why not?

isolationism

a policy of remaining separate from the economic and

political affairs of other countries
What are some possible benefits and drawbacks of isolationism?

neutrality

not supporting any side in a conflict

In what situations is it beneficial for a country to remain neutral in a conflict? In what situations
might neutrality be problematic or impossible?

impressment
(conscription)

forcing someone into government (usually military)

service
When (if ever) is impressment acceptable and/or desirable?

alien
(immigrant, foreigner)

a person from a foreign country

Which term above demonstrates a more favorable view of people moving into a new country?
Why might the Democratic and Republican parties tend to use different words in their
description of people moving into the U.S.?

sedition

actions or speech meant to incite rebellion against the

government
Which amendment protects citizens right to speak out against the U.S. government?

address
(speech)

a formal speech

cabinet

a group of people whose job it is to

advise the president
Why do you think the presidents cabinet has grown from four advisers under George
Washington to fifteen advisers under Barack Obama?

political party

an organized group of people with similar ideas which

seeks power to carry out the interests of its members
What are some benefits and problems of political parties?

free enterprise system

(capitalist system)

economic system in which individuals and businesses

control the economy with minimal government
involvement
What are potential benefits and drawbacks to a free enterprise system?

Anti-Federalist

person who opposed the adoption of the U.S.

Constitution unless it had a Bill of Rights
What did Anti-Federalists fear about the adoption of the U.S. Constitution?

civic virtue

a way of living that is important for the success of the

community
What are some qualities that are part of civic virtue?
What historical and/or modern figures are good examples of civic virtue? Why?

Federalist

person who supported the adoption of the U.S.

Constitution
Why did the Federalists argue that a Bill of Rights was not a necessary addition to the U.S.
Constitution?

republic
(representative government)

government in which the people exercise their power

by electing people to represent them
Why is republican government more practical than direct democracy in the U.S.?

abomination

something greatly disliked or hated

Why did the South believe the tariffs passed under Jackson were abominable?

compromise
(agreement, deal, settlement)

settlement of differences made when opposing sides

each give up something they want
Why is compromise necessary?
Describe an example of a time you compromised.

Jacksonian Democracy

political movement toward greater influence held by

the common man
What caused the common man to gain influence during the Jacksonian Era?

nullification

idea that a state has the right to invalidate or ignore

any federal law that the state views as
unconstitutional
Do believe nullification is acceptable? Why or why not?

states rights

powers that are reserved to the state governments

instead of the federal government
What are some examples of states rights?

suffrage

the right to vote

What do you think are reasonable requirements for suffrage in the U.S.?

acquire
(gain, obtain, receive)

to buy or obtain
What is an example of a U.S. territorial acquisition during the 1800s?

annex
(add)

to add an extra part

What is an example of a U.S. territorial annexation during the 1800s?

cede
(concede, relinquish, surrender, yield)

to give up
What is an example of territory being ceded to the U.S. during the 1800s?

Manifest Destiny

belief that it was Gods will for the U.S. to expand

from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean (sea to
shining sea)
What is an example of a U.S. territorial acquisition during the 1800s?

ordinance
(law, rule)

a law or regulation
What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance?

abolish

to formally put an end to

What was the goal of the Abolition Movement?

cotton gin

a machine that separates cotton from its seeds

Why was the invention of the cotton gin significant?

immigration

the process of moving permanently to a new country

What are some reasons people immigrate?

industrialization

the change from a society with goods mostly

produced by cottage industry to one with goods
mostly produced in factories
What are some benefits and problems with industrialization?

steamboat
(steamship)

a boat that is propelled by a steam engine

How did the invention of the steamboat influence the United States?

temperance

moderation or self-restraint, particularly in alcohol

consumption
Which groups of people were most likely to favor temperance? Why?

transcendentalism

religious and philosophical movement that held that

society and institutions corrupt individuals
Do you agree with the idea of transcendentalism? Why or why not?

urbanization

the creation and growth of cities

What are some benefits and problems with urbanization?

plantation

a large area of land on which cash crops are grown

and harvested by resident labor
Who benefitted the most from plantations? Who benefitted the least?

sectionalism

loyalty to your region instead of the country as a

whole
How could sectionalism lead to conflict?

secede
(separate, withdraw)

to formally withdraw from an organization

Were the southern states justified in their decision to secede after Abraham Lincolns election?

tariff

a tax on imports
How might a tariff help the nations economy?
How might it harm the nations economy?

assassinate

to murder an important person for political or

religious reasons
How is an assassination different from a murder?

civil war

a war between citizens of the same country

Give a historical or modern example of a civil war. What caused the civil war?

confederation

a loose collection of states

Why do you think the Founding Fathers chose to name our first constitution The Articles of
Confederation?

proclamation
(announcement)

a public or official announcement of an important

matter
Describe an example of an important proclamation in the history of the U.S.

Carpetbagger

a political candidate who tries to get elected in an area

where they have no local connections; a Northerner who
went to the South after the Civil War to make money
Why do you think these people were often called Carpetbaggers?

Freedman

an emancipated (freed) slave

What challenges might a Freedman experience?

impeach
(accuse, charge, indict)

to charge a public official of misconduct in office

What do you think are reasons a president might be impeached?

Reconstruction

the period of rebuilding the nation after the Civil War

What challenges did the nation face during Reconstruction?

Scalawag

derogatory name for a white southern Republican;

many were small farmers who resented the planter
class and had opposed secession
Why would many southerners be frustrated by the Scalawags?

sharecropping

a system of sharecropping in which a landowner allows a

tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops
produced on the land; the owner gets richer while the
tenant gets progressively poorer
How was sharecropping similar to, and different from, slavery?

tenant farming

a system in which farmers rent the land they farm

Who benefits the most in a tenant farming situation? Who benefits the least? Why?

legislation

laws
Why is it important that a group of people is responsible for creating and approving legislation,
rather than a single person?

emancipate
(liberate)

to set free
What group was working toward emancipation during the 1800s?